Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Sharjah

😐 Solo nomad: Abu Dhabi is 23.3% more expensive than Sharjah without rent, and 38.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Abu Dhabi is 27.1% more expensive than Sharjah without rent, and 58.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 AED 39.77

$5.43 AED 19.93

99.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 AED 249

$32.74 AED 120

106.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 AED 34.15

$9.29 AED 34.08

0.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.78 AED 35.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.31 AED 34.15

Cappuccino

$5.85 AED 21.49

$4.42 AED 16.23

32.35%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 AED 4.66

$0.94 AED 3.45

35.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 AED 1.48

$0.35 AED 1.28

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.78 AED 39.57

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.83 AED 39.75

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 AED 7.40

$1.77 AED 6.50

14.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.60

$1.15 AED 4.23

33.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 AED 8.86

$2.07 AED 7.59

16.43%

Eggs

$3.68 AED 13.49

$2.83 AED 10.40

30.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 AED 39.05

$10.41 AED 38.22

2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 AED 31.16

$6.85 AED 25.14

23.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 AED 40.92

$8.87 AED 32.56

25.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 AED 8.81

$1.86 AED 6.81

29.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.42

$1.53 AED 5.63

14.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 AED 6.94

$1.48 AED 5.44

27.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.52

$1.17 AED 4.28

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 AED 4.18

$0.99 AED 3.65

15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 AED 5.12

$1.21 AED 4.46

15.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 AED 6.52

$1.50 AED 5.51

18.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 AED 2.32

$0.59 AED 2.16

6.78%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.37 AED 56.4

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 AED 7.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 AED 12.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 AED 23.34

$6.47 AED 23.73

-1.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.90

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 AED 8.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 AED 7.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 AED 2.59

$1.60 AED 5.89

-55.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.02 AED 95.5

$40.82 AED 150

-36.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 AED 12.11

$3.76 AED 13.79

-12.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 AED 2.03

$0.69 AED 2.54

-20.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.93 AED 29.12

$4.76 AED 17.45

66.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 AED 2.78

$0.75 AED 2.75

1.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$45.1K AED 165.5K

$45.0K AED 165.3K

0.09%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.6K AED 83.0K

$21.9K AED 80.5K

3.04%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$144 AED 530

$193 AED 709

-25.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$51.4 AED 189

$65.2 AED 239

-21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$102 AED 376

$103 AED 378

-0.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 AED 244

$63.4 AED 233

4.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.45 AED 126

$38.02 AED 140

-9.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.77 AED 50.5

$12.68 AED 46.52

8.60%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$631 AED 2,315

$278 AED 1,022

126.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K AED 44.6K

$5,966 AED 21.9K

103.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 AED 208

$51.8 AED 190

9.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 AED 209

$94.9 AED 348

-39.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 AED 343

$95.6 AED 351

-2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 AED 330

$80.0 AED 294

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 AED 5,381

$769 AED 2,823

90.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 AED 3,903

$589 AED 2,163

80.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,018 AED 11.1K

$1,605 AED 5,889

88.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,262 AED 8,303

$1,016 AED 3,727

122.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,766 AED 17.5K

$8,048 AED 29.5K

-40.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,024 AED 11.1K

$2,730 AED 10.0K

10.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,603 AED 9,552

$2,443 AED 8,964

6.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.19

4.42

17.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abu Dhabi: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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